Interesting Times

lib•er•al

1. favourable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.
2. favourable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.
3. of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.
4. free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.
5. open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.

con•serv•a•tive

1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
2. traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness
3. having the power or tendency to conserve.

I’ve been watching this year’s British election with much interest. I confess, I have voted in previous elections without really understanding the various manifestos. I think that my fiancé has been one of the forces behind me exploring what I actually do believe in, and lining that up with what the parties say.
Now, I’m not going to go all partisan on you; who I voted for is my business.

I stayed up on election night to watch the exit polls and early results. Like most people watching, I disbelieved the exit polls – the Lib Dems couldn’t have done that badly surely? So, when I got up the following morning and saw that the exit polls were pretty accurate, I was surprised. I was also convinced that there would be a Liberal – Labour deal; a Liberal – Conservative deal was just too unrealistic. Then it happened; Dave and Nick agreed to form a coalition.

We are now entering a new type of politics, which is a Good Thing. If this works, if it provides stable and productive government, it will be very exciting.

Though I confess, Oliver Letwin and George Osbourne worry me. Very Much.


Welcome to Lib-Con, please remember to wear your ID (wait, no – that’s being scrapped) and don’t forget to pack your nuclear protective gear (you’ll still need that, we’re keeping Trident – the minty nuclear deterrent)

Boris and Felt

This article about how Boris Johnson Saves the Day made me smile this morning. The mental image of Boris wielding an iron bar, whilst cycling towards a gang of “hoodies” is brilliant.
It’s also great to see that he isn’t all talk and no trousers. When someone genuinely needed assistance he stepped in, probably without considering his own safety. He showed he has principles, and guts. Something which many politicians are sadly lacking.


Now, I feel I should share my recent felting experience with you. There isn’t an FO photo yet, though I’ll put it up when there is.
I decided to make a Booga Bag for myself from South West Trading Company Karaoke yarn. I used my 6mm circs and made the big old bag (pre-felting).
The pre-felting dimensions were: 4.5 x 10 x 13 inches and the i-cord was 97 inches long.
I bunged it into a pillowcase, and stuffed that into the washer with some old jeans. I washed it on the hottest cycle (which I thought I did last time I felted) and let it run for the shorter cycle. When I took it out of the washer I was a little surprised.
It turns out that Karaoke yarn felts really well at 90 degrees.
So here is my bag, blocking on two light bulb boxes (to give you an idea of scale too!)

It needs a shave too…
So, measurements after blocking: 3 x 5.5 x 4.75 and the i-cord is now 33 inches.
The bag is now 66% x 55% x 36% of its original size, and the i-cord is just over 33% of its original length. Whoops!
I had envisaged a knitting bag – something big enough to put a small project, some wool, some tools (scissors, crochet hook etc) and a pattern in. I might be able to fit a sock project in, if I don’t mind it sticking out the top.

Oh well, it’s a cute bag!
I think I did it on 60 last time! I’ll try felting by hand next time I think!

Ever feel like you’ve been led a merry dance?

I’m referring, of course, to the imminent nomination of Tony Blair to become President of the EU.
The BBC talk here about Number 10 lobbying his case. (Interesting that they recently reported that Number 10 said quite the opposite)
They also tell us that “Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are reportedly among those that believe the president should come from a country that uses the euro and is part of the border-free Schengen Agreement.”
This all comes about as a result of the (yet to be ratified) Lisbon treaty. The Lisbon treaty which was originally vetoed by Ireland (they kept asking them until they got a “yes”) and the treaty which we in the UK were promised a referendum on, and then denied a referendum on – on the grounds that this treaty is not a constitution. But if it creates a president, and therefore a “United States of Europe” then what else is it but a constitution?
I can’t say, now that there’s all this talk about “President Blair” (cringe) that I’m surprised that we didn’t get to vote on it.
It all begins to fall in to place – all the international meetings, the interest in the peace processes in Ireland and the middle east, the very pro-European stance that he’s had from the beginning. Blair has been planning this for a very long time I think. Perhaps not exactly this, but something akin to it.
I think that the thing which most irritates me is that we could be represented by someone who we didn’t elect (EU President is not going to be elected like the US one is – though that could be fun!) and not only that, but by someone who has been accused of lying to the country about the case for war in Iraq.

Perhaps had he been seen to be more trustworthy then I would not think that this is of his making. But sadly I suspect that his hands have been itching at the thought of an EU president, that he sees the power he could wield.

So we’re all relying on the Czech Republic. If they declare the Lisbon Treaty to be illegal under their law, then it can’t be ratified by all 27 member states and it goes back to the drawing board. That process would take longer than to next May, by which time we will hopefully have a different government.

We can but hope.

What's the matter - are you Chicken?

I have picked up the Manly sweater again this morning, only time for a row and a half before work, but it is back as my current WIP. Well, it’s the one on the sofa anyway. I had a bit of a sort out of my knitting hold-all thingy last night. I took all of the random yarn I bought over the past month or so and stashed it properly in my yarn chest. I have too much yarn for it to properly fit in the chest, so I need to get knitting (or think up a new way to organise the yarn – I’m sure there’s a better way!)

I have only one set of sock-needles, they’re fabulous surina wood. They bend rather than snapping, which is good. I have been considering getting a second set, but I am not sure about it. (If I do, I may go back to knitterbabes on e-bay because they do kits with yarn, needles and markers at a really good price)


I don’t usually talk about *issues* on my blog, but I wanted to talk about my New Year’s Resolution, my Change One Thing.
I have been discussing with the OH about why resolutions fail, and as advertised for the Boots campaign, Change Just One Thing is the answer. If you try to lose weight, eat better, exercise more, quit smoking, keep the house tidy, wear nicer clothes, spend less. . . it becomes too much.
So, my one thing? well, I watched Jamie Oliver’s special about chickens. I watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Chicken Run. I realised that I had two choices, stop eating chicken all together, or be a lot more picky about my chicken (and eggs).
I can’t describe, to anyone who hasn’t seen the conditions that a standard chicken is kept in, how horrible it seems. These fast growing chickens who never see daylight and are killed (wasted) because they’re a bit small, or because their poor little legs can’t support their grotesquely huge bodies. They live in a barn which is never cleaned out, eating and eating for 23 hours a day. It’s barbaric.
I would like to say that if it were any other animal we’d be more caring, but sadly I don’t think that is true.
Now, there is a new standard, called Freedom Foods which is a little better. It’s still not perfect, the birds still never see the outside world. It’s a more affordable option for those on a budget though, and it is probably the future of mass-produced chicken.
So, what about other options? Well, my preferred choice is Organic, as certified by the British Soil Association. There’s more to this than just the birds eating organic meal, they have to be free to roam in mottled shade (bushes or trees) and have a safe shed for the night time. they use slower growing birds which don’t have the risks of their legs developing too slowly for their weight.
If you want to read more, there are articles like this one at WhyOrganic. I’m sure that there are some opposing views, but I have no links to them. (Sorry, not very balanced I know).
So, where was I? Oh yes, my resolution. I will not buy any chicken, duck or other poultry, or eggs that have been intensively produced.
Now, there’s a bit more to it than that, of course. I’m also trying to only buy outdoor reared pork, lamb and beef, and all with the British Farm Standards mark (that little red tractor which means “farmed in the UK”). In the case of poultry it should be organic – that’s the only way to ensure the standards. (If I can get organic pork, beef and lamb I will!). I’m only buying British vegetables (which means that I’m eating a lot of root vegetables at the moment!) and in some cases organic (usually leeks at the moment!).

Now, I am sure that some of you are thinking, if you’re so concerned about the animal welfare, why aren’t you a vegetarian? which is a fair question.
By being vegetarian I would be making less of an impact in the marketplace and also making a massive impact (lifestyle and health) upon myself. I like eating meat! I believe that if I switch to organic this is making more of a statement that stopping eating meat. Think of it like this:

If I normally buy a chicken grown in hideous conditions in a small shed for £2.50 (the shame) then I’m putting £2.50 into the industry I dislike.
If I don’t buy any chicken at all, I am simply not spending the £2.50.
If instead of buying the nasty chicken I buy a free range organic chicken for £6.00 then I have put an additional £3.50 into the market. This then affects the amount of profit that the shop I bought the chicken from makes, which in turn affects what they buy in to stock.
If it is seen to be profitable to rear chickens (and other animals) in a better environment then more shops will buy in these types of stock and then more farmers will be able to afford to switch to organic (or at least free range) and therefore we’ll all have much tastier chicken! (Trust me, it’s got lots more flavour to it!)

I should admit at this point that I do have a soft spot for chickens. I think that they are such lovely creatures. They can be friendly too, you know! I hope one day to have a couple of laying hens (I don’t know about owning my own meat-chickens, I would probably get too attached) and if I do they’ll be of a crazy breed!

Here’s an example of the kind of chickens I like
I saw this one at Chatsworth house. It’s cute isn’t it? I especially like the feathered feet!
I also like some of the other breeds, but the fluffier the better! Haha.

So, anyway, that’s my change one thing. I’m going to extend the one thing every so often (when I think I’m ready!), so for January it was just only buy free range chickens and eggs For February it’s Only buy Organic Free Range Poultry and Poultry produce, only buy UK farmed meat and vegetables
I hope one day to be able to source all of my yarn locally too. If I ever get round to learning to spin there’s a vague chance that I could spin my own yarn from UK fleece! How nice would that be? I gather that you need 5 acres to grow your own sheep though, which is probably a bit out of my reach. Angora bunnies are a different story…


Other links that might be of interest if you want to find out more about farming and animal welfare in the UK. I’m not saying I agree with everything said through these links, just that they make good reading for a perhaps more rounded view…
Welfare standards for Chickens certified “free range”, “freedom food” and “organic”
The Guardian – The Green Way to Eat (the comments are hilarious!)
Biodynamic Farming

Would you vote for a Cardassian?

This morning when the OH and I were talking about the American election campaign he commented that Barak Obama (the name) sounds like a Romulan.
I disagree, I think it sounds more Cardassian (like Garak from DS9.

I'm not sure what made me chuckle more though, the OH recognising this and picking a reasonable Trek race, or the fact that Barak Obama does put me in mind of a Cardassian.

This came about when we were mentioning that Mrs Clinton is having to be called Hillary everywhere due to her slightly well known husband.
So far, I haven't found anything funny about the other candidates names, but there is still time.